Evils In The Odyssey

Imagine battling with a giant Cyclops, being attacked by a six headed monster or having to navigate around a whirlpool. All of this, and more, happened to Odysseus the famous hero of Homer’s classic work the Odyssey. His journey home from the Trojan War took twenty years and involved unbelievable hardships. “…Odysseus has had to put away childish things and lives in a world where you can freeze to death, as well as be devoured by one-eyed monsters” (Bloom 2). These ordeals might seem far removed from everyday life. However, even in modern times people battle big problems including illness, unemployment and a variety of other troubles. Modern people do not face monsters, but the situations they do confront can seem monstrous. Therefore,
the trials of Odysseus such as battles with monsters and supernatural forces, can serve as a metaphor for the trials all people undergo during everyday life. Odysseus’ trials started when he was driven off course by a storm. For nine days and nights, he and his crew were tossed by the wind. This storm nearly sank the ship and got the crew lost and it led to another predicament. “Winds drove him south to the coast of Libya. Three scouts were sent out from the ships, but they did not return so Odysseus set out after them” (historylink101). Going to locate the scouts led Odysseus into even more trouble. The scouts had gotten into trouble on the island of the Lotus-eaters and Odysseus had a hard time getting them back because they did not want to leave after eating the lotus. In today’s world, people can often be blown off course by mistakes. Cheating on tests, peer pressure and other problems can set students off course. Using drugs can cause a person to make even worse choices like the scouts did. Choosing between right and wrong can keep people from being driven off course. As Richelle Goodrich says “Personal problems appear big because we press our nose to the glass to observe them” (Good Reads). However personal problems can really seem monstrous to the one’s facing them. The storms of life are extremely real. One of Odysseus’ worst trials was when he and his men were captured by a Cyclops. It happened when Odysseus and his men found an island with a cave and thought they could relax for a while. At first they thought the Cyclops was a simple shepherd. When Odysseus met the Cyclops, he said “Good sir, we are travelers on the way home…and wonder if you will sell us some of your cheese” (Hutton 8). They soon all found that the Cyclops was not a simple Shepherd, but a terrible monster. Polyphemus, the Cyclops, attacked them and ate some of Odysseus’ crew. They found themselves trapped in a cave and found no easy way out to get passed the Cyclops. For the men to escape, they gave Polyphemus wine and he fell into “… a deep drunken sleep” (Hutton 18). The men attacked him, blinding him with a sharpened branch and made their escape. Odysseus further added to his predicament by calling out to the Cyclops and telling him his true name. In like manner, modern people also have to fight against their enormous troubles. The people in Africa, for example, are now battling the disease Ebola. Like Odysseus’ crew, they need to work through difficulty and gain strength through hardships. Also like Odysseus, who made trouble for himself by telling the Cyclops his name, people often get into a worse dilemma by boasting or talking too much. Another trial occurred when Odysseus’ men let him down.
“Aeolus, the god of the winds, gives Odysseus all of the bad winds, so he can safely sail home. Odysseus’ men go against his orders and open the bag, and all of the winds escape” (The Odyssey). Odysseus had strictly ordered the men not to open the bag containing the winds, but they disobeyed him. He trusted them so he did not tell them what was in the bag. The men, though did not live up to his trust. After the men let out the winds they were blown back to the island of Aeolus. This meant that instead of being almost home, Odysseus had to begin the whole journey over again. What made this so difficult for him was that it was his friends who let him down when he thought he could trust them. In today’s world, friends often let others down, causing hard feelings and distrust. Even one of the psalms in the bible says “Put not your trust in princes, in man, in whom there is no salvation” (New American Bible, Ps. 146.3). These trials seem to be the hardest because they affect a person’s trust. Just as they did with Odysseus, this kind of trial can set a person back on his journey. Starting all over again is always exceedingly
difficult. Odysseus had another terrible hardship when he had to choose between fighting a six-headed monster, Scylla, or going into a giant whirlpool named Charybdis.
Scylla, who is a monster among monsters, aptly and fully described, with her twelve feet, her six necks, each with a head and three rows of teeth; she seizes six men from the ship of Odysseus and eats them while they are still crying for help and stretching out their hands (Bloom 63). Scylla will only kill six men, while Charybdis would take down the entire ship.
Odysseus decided to take his luck with Scylla. For Odysseus, this seemed like an impossible choice. He had to watch some of his men be killed in order to save the ship. This type of trial can easily be seen as a metaphor for the troubles people encounter in everyday life. Even today, anything worthwhile is difficult to do. As Mindy McGinnis says, “It’s going to be hard – everything worth doing is” (Good Reads). Like Odysseus, people today face tough choices. Students have to make choices between going to football practice or staying up late studying for a test. Also like Odysseus, these decisions can seem almost impossible. Quite often it seems that one has to choose the lesser of two
evils. Odysseus had to go through many trials during his journey home and these different predicament’s that people face now as they struggle through life. Among other trails, Odysseus had to fight a giant Cyclops, deal with the frustration of losing most of his men and choosing between a six headed monster or a whirlpool. There were many other trials and tribulations that afflicted him during his long journey home. These supernatural monsters are not part of people’s everyday life, but they symbolize the trials people go through in today’s world. Disease, unemployment and hunger are only some of the problems the world faces. However facing these obstacles can make people stronger. As Peter Dunov, says “Human happiness is defined by the hardships and conflicts you have been through. The greater they are, they greater is your happiness” (Good Reads). Like Odysseus, people today need to face these challenges and not get discouraged and keep a steady course in life. They need to keep working toward their goal just as Odysseus kept trying to get home. They can take their comfort from Odysseus, who after twenty years of trials and hardships, finally found his way home.